Europe's trouble is Ireland's opportunity

My country – the Republic of Ireland – has sold its soul to Europe. By this, I don’t mean it has become a vassal state – although that, too, is undeniable. I mean that the European project has eroded our laws, culture, religion and the old norms which once governed civil society. This is tragic for any nation, but for one so young it is nothing short of a catastrophe.

The scale of destruction, visited by Brussels upon the social and cultural ecology of Ireland, was recently brought home to me while hosting an American public figure. As we drove from the airport into Dublin City, he remarked that he was shocked by the contrast since his last visit in 1982. The country was, he exclaimed, ‘Europeanised to the point of being virtually unrecognisable’.

Ireland in ruins? Ireland's affiliation with Europe has served to erode our cultural values, and destroy the norms which once governed society

The Irish people know this, which is why, before being forced back to the polls, they voted against the Nice and Lisbon Treaties. Instinctively, my countrymen understand that their sovereignty was hard won, and that delivering it on a plate to the new Jacobins is a terrible betrayal of their political forebears. They recognise that, in so doing, they are no longer free to determine their political, legal, and spiritual destiny.

To say such things in Britain defines you as a patriot. Saying them in Ireland puts you on the same side as a host of extreme leftists, socialists and Sinn Fein. This makes it very difficult for genuinely patriotic voices to be heard above the din of nationalist nonsense.

Tainted: An American I met recently described Ireland as 'Europeanised to the point of being virtually unrecognisable'

Thanks to the legacy of the so-called ‘Troubles’, Irish nationalism has become synonymous with patriotism. In reality, of course, they have nothing in common. Whereas Irish nationalism is steeped in blood, bitterness and rejection, patriotism is an altogether different emotion. It is rooted in love and acceptance of all those diverse elements which make us who we are.

This means that a true Irish patriot would have no difficulty affirming the contribution of the British to his country. He would have no problem, even as a devout Catholic, acknowledging the right of over 1 million Protestants to share his land. He would, in sum, recognise that no voice should be silenced from Irish history.

It is an abject failure of the Irish political establishment to have permitted Sinn Fein to claim the mantle of Irish patriotism. It is a failure, because many of those who would otherwise resist Europe are afraid to do so precisely because they don’t wish to be associated with narrow-minded nationalists. That is why Ireland needs a new party of true patriots that will not only show up Sinn Fein for what they truly are, but will provide a political space for the great disaffected silent majority.

In the meantime, we have been given a chance to decide, by referendum, if we accept the new European Fiscal Treaty. The choice is clear: either we ratify the document and have permanent European oversight of our national budget, or we reject the treaty and find ourselves cut off from any future emergency funding. That is, at least, how our political hierarchy will spin it.

Protests: Thanks to the legacy of the 'Troubles', Irish nationalism has become synonymous with patriotism

I have no doubt that, were it not for such scare tactics, the Irish electorate would once again reject what the Eurocrats call ‘even more Europe’. Why, in other words, would we surrender even more power to unelected bureaucrats, an ideologically-driven transnational judiciary and an unaccountable army of regulators? And yet, according to yesterday’s opinion polls, it seems that is exactly what we are set on doing.

To put it simply, the Irish are now convinced that if they don’t surrender everything to Europe, they will face economic Armageddon. The reality is, of course, that even if we endorse the Treaty there is no escaping fiscal hardship in the foreseeable future. However, by opposing it we have at least the chance of reclaiming some of our economic sovereignty, our cultural inheritance and our judicial independence.

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To all, except the most blinkered Europhiles, it is now obvious that the ‘European dream’ is nothing but a nightmare. It has destroyed the cultural, religious and moral fabric of the old Continent. And now, the Commissars of ‘ever closer union’ have manufactured the perfect circumstances in which they can force a final capitulation.

Thanks to our Attorney General, the Irish have a precious opportunity to foil their sinister designs. I wish I could say with certainty that, for the sake of all European democrats, they will courageously do just that. Sadly, I fear they will opt for economic slavery instead.